Similar items over time

Hezzanith Endless Tangent Screw Automatic Clamp Sextant No. Y826 made by Heath & Co New Eltham, London. It comes with a certificate of examination by the Hezzanith Instrument Works in London, issued 4 July 1935, which states the sextant has a 10 vernier. It was purchased by Martin Spencer-Hogbin in a second hand shop in London around 1946.

Born in Cambridge, England on 27 August 1924 Martin Spencer-Hogbin spent his working life in the shipping industry working primarily for the Blue Funnel Line. In 1957 Martin decided to immigrate to Australia from England, believing it would be a better place to raise children. He travelled via a free passage on the Blue Funnel Line, with his wife and two daughters following as full fare paying immigrants. In Australia he was a superintendent for FG Strang, a stevedoring company, of which he later became director. Martin retired in 1987 and settled in Armadale, Victoria.

Martin used the sextant until he retired from shipboard life in 1957. The sextant is an item prized by its owner, and according to Martin all officers had their own, this one has the '00' corrections which are highly valued. Martin brought the sextant with him when he migrated to Australia in 1957 as a precious personal object, a connection to his shipboard work and as a beautiful piece of craftsmanship in its own right.